Erik the Red: The Saga of Viking Greenland

[@Biographics]

The first 100 people to go to www.blinkist.com/BIOGRAPHICS will get unlimited access for one week to try it out. You’ll also get 25% off if you want the full membership.

[@drstone2358]

4 days ago?

[@robertoleary5470]

A video request for Micheal Collins, the revolutionary

[@sudnnk5138]

The head Simon.

[@VinnieMTG2024]

Suggestion: Machado de Assis. Thanks

[@Doobydoobydoo1974]

Can you do a biography on François Mitterrand?

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:15 - Chapter 1 - The sagas 4:50 - Chapter 2 - Blood feud 8:20 - Mid roll ads 9:50 - Chapter 3 - Promised land 13:25 - Chapter 4 - Colony 16:35 - Chapter 5 - From the new world 20:10 - Chapter 6 - Coming to america

[@KarmicKnight97]

Thanks Flando

[@jakeswainson1244]

Please do Leif Erikson next! I just finished re watching Vinland Saga and can't get enough of Viking history since

[@JonManProductions]

It has to be released on Leif Erikson Day.

[@AlexTheEssenceVargas]

Spongebob did a great cover on the history of that day.

[@WhiteBloggerBlackSpecs]

HINGA DINGA DURGEN

[@junnutube]

And Canute (Knut/Cnut) The Great !!!!!!!!!!!

[@derpderp3383]

I'm so glad I saw these replies. I was hoping SpongeBob was referenced.

[@Touton701]

Born and raised in Newfoundland and I’ve actually visited That settlement it’s amazing and it honestly sparked my interest in history when i first saw it as a kid

[@donaldleslie1145]

God Bless you Simon . I hope your collarbone heals back soon. People like you are hard to find and not easily replaced.

[@viking8796]

The only thing that I vaguely remember about the story of Greenland's colonization was that tidbit about Erik lying to people and overselling Greenland's habitability. It's great to hear the story in more detail and realize that there was actually a real thriving settlement there with actual green land rather than the whole "he sold them icy hellscapes" narrative that is all over the place.

[@ljnv]

Erik the red The greatest troll in history 😅

[@bazza945]

They narrowly escaped being called "Trump-land".

[@stevenlynch33]

Me too mate a propaganda name is was I taught 😂

[@CearaRed]

the thing i remember is the irony of Greenland being mostly ice and Iceland being mostly green.

[@AnnoyingNewslettersPage6]

There's a merchandise opportunity for Simon. A business blaze shirt that reads, all of this could be absolute bullsh!t.

[@JustKrista50]

Norsemen! I would love to see more of these Bios. So much information that is taught in school is utter BS. Thanks for covering this!

[@larkdavis7057]

Eiríks saga rauða, is an Icelandic saga on the Norse exploration of North America. The original saga is thought to have been written in the 13th century. It

[@THEEGOBLINNE]

Finally, an episode about the Vikings. I'll get my horn.

[@typ6896]

Edit: *Skål

[@rachelhignett9473]

Skål

[@annikamyren3026]

@@rachelhignett9473 Botten upp 🍺👍

[@SegaDream131]

By the bells!!! The NOSRE ARE STILL!!!....

[@blueberrypirate3601]

Game for Olaf😃

[@TheAvengeddonut]

Any video Simon does within the topic if Vikings and sagas makes my little Norwegian heart jump and sing with joy 🥰🥰

[@hellohello-om9ez]

"Hey everybody! It's Leif Erikson Day! HINGA DINGA DURGEN!" Spongebob Squarepants

[@moogoesacow1]

Came here to see if anyone commented this 😆

[@EM-tx7qm]

Hey Simon great video. Consider doing one on Charles “The Hammer”Martel!!

[@steamedwatermelon2165]

My personal favorite monarch

[@semregob3363]

Some zealous chatholic drunkard.

[@Truename586]

Yes

[@iagosevatar4865]

@@steamedwatermelon2165 Actually, he never was king (contrary to his son pepin who made a coup d'état), he was major of the palace (~prime minister) but yeah he had the actual power, the last merovingian kings beiing just pupetts.

[@Svvithred]

I highly recommend that you have a look at the Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson, it's a great saga and well worth doing a video about!

[@sandybarnes887]

Shout out from here in Newfoundland 🇨🇦

[@1024BenZ]

It's so cool reading about these old Viking sagas about Vinland, which until recently were thought to more legend than reality, then going to L'Anse aux Meadows and seeing a real settlement.

[@theawesomeman9821]

Please make a video on Haraald Haldrada, the greatest Viking who lived! He fought for the Russians and Byzantines like a Medieval John Wick and lead the last great Viking raid on England at Stamford's Bridge.

[@veronicajensen7690]

we do however have more proof than the sagas about what happened

[@ericwright8592]

22:23 when do we learn about inuits reclaiming Greenland? I'm curious why they abandoned it leaving it vacant for Europeans and then what drove them back.

[@ThorfinnSkullsplitter-fz7ff]

"The council of fools is all the more dangerous the more of them there are." -- Bjarni Herjolfsson, discoverer of the North American Continent cir 985 A.D. It's Bjarni's boat that Lief Eriksson used to sail to L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland in 1000 A.D. A good boat always remembers it where it's been.

[@wouldbang6928]

Fake news. Donald trumps great great grandfather discovered north America in 1815

[@daneaxe6465]

That's one of my favorite quotes. The back story>> He was sailing back to Iceland when the boat(s) were socked in by dense fog. IIRC they were fogged in several days. When the fog started to clear the crew got into a discussion which direction they should go. It ended up being a "fight" between the crew and the navigator. So he decided the navigator knew best and ordered them to follow his directions. They made it safely to Iceland. I imagine the quote was formed soon after reaching Iceland. Obviously a huge dig at the crew members who would've gotten them all killed if they'd traveled their desire (and wrong) direction.

[@ThorfinnSkullsplitter-fz7ff]

@@daneaxe6465 I think I got that from a lecture out of Great Courses. Can't remember which, but it was college lectures series on CD on Mediaeval history.

[@tobiasandersen2761]

I don’t know if you have talked about this at some point, but could you please upload more of your videos to the podcast? I listen to them at work and I want to listen to the newer ones, Simon. Great work as always 😁👍🏻 - big fan from Denmark

[@adam_martin]

Hope your ok after your collarbone injury. Great Video as always Simon

[@ravenhill_the_crusader_1968]

truly great material, fascinating stuff!

[@mikdan8813]

Oh, there once was a hero named Ragnar the Red Who came riding to Whiterun from ole Rorikstead And the braggart did swagger and brandish his blade As he told of bold battles and gold he had made But then he went quiet, did Ragnar the Red When he met the shieldmaiden Matilda who said Oh, you talk and you lie and you drink all our mead Now I think it's high time that you lie down and bleed And so then came clashing and slashing of steel As the brave lass Matilda charged in full of zeal And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no more When his ugly red head rolled around on the floor

[@patrickquinlan8825]

Simon was the goat of this channel man, I can"t watch the new videos now that he's not on here

[@bobveinne2439]

What's funny is that when I tell people Leif Erikson landed on North America in 1000 A.D, people don't believe me because the year is just too perfect.

[@mikew1374]

Happy Leif Erikson day! Hinga Dinga Dergin!

[@doomi4055]

COINCIDENCE?!?? I Think NOT!!!! The Incredibles (2004)

[@youtubetroller2451]

@@doomi4055 lol that's game theory stuff.

[@Raygetsu]

Thanks for the video bearded facts guy!

[@ashleywatmore7989]

Love the videos & especially the beard growth 🤙

[@snakeking211]

Awesome was so early due to editing love to watch biographical while editing

[@Heavyss71]

I dont see a Biographic of William Randolph Hearst. Im surprised he has not been covered yet.

[@IrishMike22]

Because everything we know about him he wrote himself......

[@Heavyss71]

@@IrishMike22 I still think it would be a popular video for Simon and Co.

[@IrishMike22]

@@Heavyss71 I was merely making a terrible joke about history being written by the victors.....and the press they own.

[@ryanrizzo4869]

Love the choice of today's Biographics! As usual, I am here to request a Biographic on Ip Man, martial arts mentor to the late, great Bruce Lee. His movies are great, but don't really have the Biographic touch! Thank you in advance! Keep up the great content! -A Loyal Subscriber

[@perstaunstrup3451]

Please can you do one on Bjorn Ironside (and the other Lothbrok soms for that matter), especially his murderous venture from Normandy though the Mediterranean? Good legend stuff and a lot of monks writing (probably in terror) of him?

[@BenjaminKibbey]

"But for whatever reason Eric had his heart set on this mysterious western land..." Spoken like a man who has never had serious problems with his neighbors.

[@Orphen42O]

Some Europeans in the Middle Ages came to Greenland to find the homes abandoned but wild sheep and goats wandering around. If there were enough domestic animals left to propagate wild herds, the homeowners probably did not starve to death. If there was an epidemic or a raid, wouldn't there be some skeletons lying around because there wasn't anyone left to bury them? What about the hunting dogs? Were they found in wild packs because their owners vanished? Did the settlers have horses-- if so, was their any evidence of what happened to them? If houses made of wood were left standing, I would find that odd because if the Vikings left intentionally, wouldn't they have dismantled the houses to use the priceless timbers to repair or build ships?

[@MatthewTheWolf2029]

Fascinating history regarding Erik the Red. Truly fascinating.

[@Newfielad00]

Hello from Newfoundland,the Vikings were here a Danish couple discoverd scandanavian smelting of nails for ships in the early 80’s

[@stephenlane9168]

Brilliant Simon, all videos are fantastic!

[@richtygart6855]

There are some pretty interesting stories about the Vikings making it a lot farther into America than just Newfoundland. The Paiute Indians in McDermott Nevada have got a story about them

[@ericthompson3982]

He's who I'm named after! Shock twist: I named my son Leif.

[@brandonusry8822]

Nice

[@dickdastardly4236]

Ditto.

[@miliba]

I know a pair of brothers named Lars and Sven, just like the two German footballers

[@llYossarian]

The shock twist is if your dad was actually named Thomp

[@ericthompson3982]

@@llYossarian Heh.

[@kattekaren]

I'm so here for all the viking content! :D

[@emmanueladewale9795]

Great video as always.

[@adityaswarup7811]

FINALLY you made a viking episode!! please also do one on each ragnar lodbrok, Ivar the boneless and Bjorn Ironside

[@gagemead27]

I've been looking forward to this one.

[@alwayslearning721]

I did a DNA test and found out I’m 80% Scandinavian. Since then I’ve been learning all I can on my people. Would love to visit and see where my roots are.

[@j0njn]

Great vid. I’ll just ad another request for Leif Erikson to the rest.

[@nathanmiller9632]

Series on Victoria cross recipients would be class

[@j.a.weishaupt1748]

Do one about William of Orange please.

[@noahpage7459]

Interesting that there seems to be a theme of people settling and then abandoning Greenland.

[@gunnarelisigurjonsson2587]

Except the brilliant Mongolian Intuit's bjt also no trees and longhouses need trees and mud..

[@veronicajensen7690]

the Inuits in Greenland came from Canada 7-800 years ago @@gunnarelisigurjonsson2587

[@rocioaguilera3555]

Best wishes for you, Simon. Get well soon.

[@stevenlynch33]

Finally some vikings 💚 keep em coming

[@Erewhon2024]

One reason the Norse colonies on Greenland perished is that the Medieval Warm Period came to an end. To survive they would've had to adopt Inuit style cultural practices or at least a stable colony on forested shores that would reliably send timber if Norway forgot them as apparently it did. The Little Ice Age came.

[@veronicajensen7690]

today historians lean towards the fact that whale tusk they have been trading was not as popular anymore since the discovery of Ivory, they can see the young people left Greenland first, the same ting happen in modern day , if there are not work the young people leave , historians used to think the Vikings didn't eat fish and when there were more ice they could not have cattle or get cattle from Iceland and Norway, now we know the Viking in Greenland did actually eat fish

[@maryellencook9528]

Simon, have you done a video on Brendan of Hy Brasil ? This would be fascinating.

[@MotoHikes]

Lets get some well wishes in the comments for Simon who has recently broken his collarbone

[@brandonwinstead7137]

BACK IN THE SADDLE FACT BOY

[@huasohvac]

@@brandonwinstead7137 AM I RIGHT PETER!

[@TeddyParker]

What'd he do? I cranked mine mountain biking in January

[@therealdeal3672]

How unfortunate! May he make a swift recovery! You would think he would know better than going around breaking his bones! 🧐

[@MotoHikes]

@@TeddyParker Oddly enough I think he cracked his mountain biking, according to his Twitter

[@The_Daily_Tomato]

Simon making a video about our history? Oh the translations are going to be glorious 🤣

[@areiaaphrodite]

Yaaaasss! I love a good Biographics Viking video!

[@HistoryOfRevolutions]

"To travel is to live" - Hans Christian Andersen

[@samtepal3892]

"I did pee-pee poo-poo, it was beautiful" - Hans Christian Andersen

[@crystalmeier6579]

This was a great video.

[@TheHoagie13]

It's *"Fee-ord"/"Fyord" (Fjord).* Same with *"Bee-orn"/"Byorn" (Bjorn)...*

[@swevixeh]

And "Lay-f", not "leaf" (Leif) 🌿

[@TheHoggcast]

This video was awesome, and you do alot of good vids, but this one was excellent.

[@klattalexis]

How did they cook or keep warm in winter with no trees in sight???

[@jimmyfirecracker1831]

Can you do Juan Ponce De leon? The fountain of youth story!

[@celter.45acp98]

I love this man. don't cross the wrong one unless you're prepared to handle the consequences

[@celter.45acp98]

@@Endgame707 quit smoking crack lol

[@TheEvilCommenter]

Good video 👍

[@annikamyren3026]

The K in Knarr is not silent! It namned after the sound the boat makes .

[@WilliamSmith-bm1jy]

No mention of fishing? I guess it would be too dangerous to try to get out towards a great banks but was there no fishing available to them without going deep? Also the Greenland shark and wheels? I would think the fat would be important for a light and energy source and for starting fires? Especially with not much would

[@veronicajensen7690]

we do know the Vikings in Greenland ate fish

[@wut274]

Ngl BlazeBoi, little disappointed you didn't dye beard red for this one. 💔 If you dye it green you could green-screen it. 😂🤣

[@danielmoseley8040]

"Terence Mckenna And The Archaic Revival" it has a nice ring

[@juanchavira7206]

What about Achilles, prince hector, Davy Crockett, Medal of Honor recipients in general, more unknown but prolific serial killers all over the world.

[@jedsithor]

Achilles and Hector are fictional characters though the city of Troy does exist so perhaps he could do an episode about Troy and cover the Iliad on the Geographics channel.

[@ZetaEntity101]

An episode about The Vikings sweet

[@FriendshipandPonies]

simon is your collarbone good?

[@TheMagicLemur]

20:00 - is this a KLF reference?

[@claudettedelphis6476]

Superb video and information 😉 Thank you for your ever generous information ⛲️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧜‍♀️💼🦅🦋🦄🦕

[@Mr.MarcusMario]

Love this episode!

[@ttaylorboi]

How did you get runes as your username? I love it

[@Mr.MarcusMario]

@@ttaylorboi a website. Rune translater.

[@Liefvikerson]

@@Mr.MarcusMario I am the son of Eric Something ? That is very cool man 😎

[@Mr.MarcusMario]

@@Liefvikerson I am the son of martin barendregt. The runes are correct until the last name. Still have to correct that. I just use this rune name to show how proud I am of my father. Oh btw I used elder futhark Edit: changed and corrected it.

[@ttaylorboi]

@@Mr.MarcusMario i knew the martin part but the last name threw me

[@LopuDesigns]

What was he saying around 8:10? Sea posts?

[@jamesmartin6050]

Here are some suggestions for another video - all interesting people April Ellison/William Ellison Jr. (1790-1861) - a freed slave from South Carolina who became a successful slaveowner and planter himself before the civil war. Anthony Johnson (1600-1670) - a former indentured servant who became one of the first African American property owners in America and a successful tobacco farmer. Lord Mountbatten (1900-1979) - Prince Philip’s uncle and Queen Elizabeth’s second cousin once removed who was assassinated by the IRA Yukio Mishima (1925-1970) - Japanese poet, author, playwright, actor and nationalist who committed seppuku after a failed attempt to overthrow Japan’s 1947 constitution. Robert Walpole (1676-1745) - British politician who was the first prime minister of Great Britain from 1721 until 1742 under King George I and King George II. Eamon DeValera (1882-1975) - prominent political leader in 20th century Ireland who, after the Irish war of independence from 1919 to 1921, was in the public eye for over forty years from 1922 until his death were he served as head of government (Taoiseach/prime minister) and head of state (president). He was nearly executed in the Easter Rising in 1916 and was key in putting into place the new constitution on 1937. A very prominent Irish figure and one of the most important in Irish history. George Eastman (1854-1932) - American entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak company. He was a pioneer of photography and a major philanthropist. He commit suicide at the age of 77 because of chronic pain from health problems. Emile Zola (1840-1902) - French novelist and journalist who is an early practitioner in the literary genre, naturalism. He was involved in the Dreyfus affair, a political scandal in France. He died in 1902 at the age of 62 from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. ryoichi sasakawa (1899-1995) - Japanese businessman, politician, sports administrator, philanthropist and was criminal who helped Norman Borlaug with his Green Revolution. Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) - Irish poet, playwright and translator who won the 1995 Nobel prize for literature and wrote a poem about The Tollund Man comparing his cause of death to The Troubles in Northern Ireland. W.B. Yeats (1865-1939) - Irish poet, dramatist and writer with an interest in the occult who helped found the Abbey Theatre and was a senator for the Irish Free State. He is one of the most important historical figures in Irish history. Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021) - husband and consort to Queen Elizabeth who served in the navy as a young man, serving in the Second World War. He died recently so it would be a good choice. Jordan Belfort (born 1962) - former stockbroker, author, motivational speaker and convicted felon who committed fraud via stock market manipulation. His book was the inspiration behind the film The Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio in 2013. Andrew Cunanan (1969-1997) - spree killer responsible for five murders before his suicide via gunshot. His victims include Gianna Versace and Lee Miglin. Lee Miglin (1924-1997) - American business tycoon, real estate developer and philanthropist who was spree killer, Andrew Cunanan’s third murder victim. “The Count of Saint Germain” (1691 or 1712 -died 1784) - European Adventurer who achieved prominence in high society in the 1700’s. His real name is unknown while his background is obscure. He claimed to be the son of Prince Francis II Rakoczi of Transylvania. He was arrested for suspicion of espionage during the Jacobite rebellion but was released without charge. Julia d’Aunigny (1670 or 1673 -died 1707) - 17th century French opera singer who was known for her flamboyant lifestyle. Her father was a secretary to the master of the horse to King Louis XIV. She was a keen sword fighter, cross-dressed and tried to run away with a female lover after killing a man in a duel. She died at the age of 33. Past American presidents, British prime ministers, monarchs and Roman emperors would be good as well.

[@theawesomeman9821]

You have a treasure trove of ideas

[@HeliRy]

Are there any oral tradition tales from the First Nations people of Canada regarding the Vikings? Would be fascinating to have a glimpse at how that went

[@ahole2545]

I'm glad I found this video I have been trying to find out alot about my family bloodline I am Ulrik Erichsen a Direct Desendant of Erik "The Red" Thorvaldsson. I've been looking at different video's and this one is the only one that actually helps

[@lunatikatlemans24h88]

No you are not! Pariez que vous êtes un Américain qui a payé beaucoup d’argent pour qu’on vous dise que votre lié à la royauté Au moins un prince ?

[@murder13love]

Lord Byron would make for a great video 👌

[@TheGeneral_LUFC]

Please do Brian Boru the Vikings slayer. On April 23rd 1014 Brian boru defeated the Vikings at the Battle of clontarf and stopped a Viking invasion. He was the king of Ireland at the time and he's a legend...

[@kurtbogle2973]

NOVA covers this quite well. Eventually the Vikings became Christians and starved to death because they couldn't ask the heathens about how they were feeding themselves.

[@michaelsheridan684]

Well I'm on break now after 6 hours using the jackhammer. This video was well needed

[@Clannluan]

It's believed an Irish Monk, Saint Brendan, set foot on the American continent before even the Vikings... you should do a video on him. (Back in the 80's a group built a replica of St. Bredan's ship and re-enacted his journey)

[@bradp5848]

I would love an episode on Admiral Yi Sun-sin or Admiral De Ruyter. Yi Sun Sins story is an incredible one and De Ruyter gets glossed over by the accomplishments of that one-armed British guy from Treyfalgar Square.

[@grumpyratt2163]

That would Nelson

[@bradp5848]

@@grumpyratt2163 if I'm at habitual cynic then would he be a half Nelson or a full Nelson?

[@mandalor45]

Harald Hardrada would be nice to see

[@AmandaWolfChild]

Hey you jacked that last line from The History Guy. History that deserves to be remembered is his tag line.

[@32forestgump]

This is awesome! By far one of my favourite people you’ve covered! Maybe Harold hardrada is next? 😏😏

[@cuzthatshoweyroll]

Cool! Would love to see one about Leif!

[@elr5475]

What are seat posts and why are they so valuable?

[@Amy_the_Lizard]

Considering that killing the thralls made them completely unusable rather than just some minor aesthetic damage like scratching a car, I'd say the situation would have been closer to killing your neighbor becaus he completely destroyed your car after you accidentally knocked over his mailbox with it. It would have still been seen as an overreaction, but not quite as much of an overreaction as killing someone over a car scratch would be

[@Amy_the_Lizard]

Actually, since the thralls WERE alive - albiet still seen as property - you could also make a case that it could be comperable to killing your neighbor because he killed all of your backyard chickens, or possibly even all your dogs (people are generally pretty friendly with their dogs, and I'm not sure how friendly ye olde Norse people generally were with their slaves...)

[@kidofflint8812]

Can you do a video on Charles Sumner or Fanny Seward

[@marc-antoinemarcoux697]

You should do one about Ivaylo of Bulgaria (if there is enough to say about him) thats a fascinating story.

[@jdunnatl]

Great video, but the volume is pretty low. Anyone else have trouble hearing it??

[@paulschauerman2052]

Another good video! Have you ever done a video on Adam Worth the Victorian criminal who is considered the real life inspiration for Moriarty?

[@beagleissleeping5359]

I always thought it was strange that the Vikings found Canada, Columbus found South America, but it was how long before anyone discovered what was in between? That's a huge distance between the two.

[@waikatowizard1267]

North Atlantic current flows in the direction that the vikings followed (up past iceland, greenland, to newfoundland. The gulf stream flows from the west coast of Africa, up to the carribean (colombus' route). I doubt they were aware of these at the time, but this would affect the prevailing winds as well as the ocean current, and provided the easiest routes to the Americas from Europe. Check out the usual shipping routes during the age of sail, and the current flows in oceans, they very often follow the same paths. Hope that helps with a bit of insight.

[@rejvaik00]

Also the Vikings weren't really keen to start an age of discovery Navigation devices at sea either weren't invented or they weren't commonly used and restricted to the specific culture; _(granted by 900ad the Arabs already had been using the Kamal for over 300 years which let them calculate their latitude and sail out of sight of land)_ _(Polynesians used a unique system of sticks tied into various positions by thread to map out ocean currents and islands that one could reach if they followed those same currents)_ Norsemen, however relied heavily upon the stars for navigation and did a system of island hopping, staying insight of land and traveling from island to island Secondly, Why settle all these colonies so far away from Europe and Central Asia where the Vikings figured all the spoils and treasure was? The would be colonies had poor soil, resources are scarce and the travel towards them is difficult, making them just not worth it Only criminals or the most desperate would even consider it

[@stevenwebb3634]

The next biographics episode: Simon's Beard

[@puppetguy8726]

Re the ivory trade, IIRC walrus ivory was less sought after than real ivory, but when conflicts and famines occurred in west Africa the supply of real ivory to Europe would dry up and replacement ivory from Greenland/Iceland came to be in high demand.

[@vermillion9nelson188]

The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley. Read it. It's beautiful and tragic and beautiful. My absolute favorite book.

[@donaldkelly3983]

Simon, get well very soon!

[@davidtelford4160]

Can you do a bio on "mark Brandon "chopper" read"

[@ssam1337]

Where is a video about Moltke?

[@almightypower4895]

So did he know Ragnor? Or were those two different time stamps ?

[@SaetherOfficial]

You should do Snorri Sturluson

[@gethroenteralastname2210]

Great disclaimer.